Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has urged the Red Devils to pick Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right-back, and drop Antonio Valencia.

Fosu-Mensah made his debut for United under Louis van Gaal against Arsenal last season, and even earned an international call up for Holland.

Paul Parker - England in action

Paul Parker, speaking exclusively to 888Sport, said: "The position United have to worry about is right-back. They have Fosu-Mensah who is absolutely perfect.

"He is a very good defender and in the final third he’s as cool as a cucumber. He never panicked last season and has an arrogance on the ball. He would be a better bet than Valencia who is fine up to a point but doesn’t have a trick.

"The thing that goes against Fosu-Mensah is that he’s young and Mourinho doesn’t like young players. It’s the same old story and if that’s what is keeping him out of the side that’s a concern.”

The defender Parker does not mention is last summer's signing from Torino, Italian international Matteo Darmian, whose future at the club is unclear.

If United do sell or loan him out then it will be a boost for Fosu-Mensah, who would fancy his chances of displacing Valencia at some point this season.

While Parker notes Valencia 'does not have a trick', he has proved himself repeatedly when at his best, capable of beating a man and delivering a cross, setting up Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his Community Shield winner.

Dan Coombs

Dan Coombs has been writing for HITC Sport full time since 2012 and has helped the website grow it's audience considerably during this period, while managing a team of writers. He has interviewed high profile names including Stuart Pearce and his work has been cited in Javier Hernandez's biography. In addition to football, Dan is a big fan of the NFL and NBA.